home opener is minutes away....

home opener is minutes away....

And fortunately it's coming in crystal clear on the old Sears AM radio here in my north of Milwaukee office.

Now if I only had a cold beer and some Beer Nuts...

As sure as Gacy as would post on a thread titled "rope tricks", I will assuredly post on a thread titled "White Sox".

While I cannot be at opening day at U.S. Cellular, I will say this: God bless the MLB.com audio package. And God bless the Dish Network's MLB Extra Innings package.

GO YOU SOX!!!

It's a White Sox winner.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:God bless the MLB.com audio package.

Indeed great. And quite a bargain too. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to have speakers on my computer at work. WTF? But at least I am allowed to listen to the radio.

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:And God bless the Dish Network's MLB Extra Innings package.

I was all set to sign up for this until I learned (during opening week's free preview) that all Chicago games (Sox and Cubs) are blacked out in Milwaukee. Again, wtf? It has proved impossible to find out exactly why this is the case. Are all MLB Extra Innings Brewers games being blacked out in the Chicago market?

I was all set to sign up for this until I learned (during opening week's free preview) that all Chicago games (Sox and Cubs) are blacked out in Milwaukee. Again, wtf? It has proved impossible to find out exactly why this is the case. Are all MLB Extra Innings Brewers games being blacked out in the Chicago market?

that's insane

aren't all the cubs games sold out already? or some bullshit like that? do they need to protect ticket brokers?

and no, i am pretty sure we would get all the brewers games

ordonez is going to have a MONSTER year, and so far so good on konerko

i always think 'i like this team' at the beginning of the season, but...i like this w.sox team. i think maybe carlos lee has grown up, and those young pitchers aren't going off the deep end. i think they'll take the al central by storm, dad gum it.

By the way, since the John Sterling/Michael Kay Yankees radio broadcast team was broken up in NY, my vote for best radio team is Ed Farmer and John Rooney in Chicago. They are The Best.

Bob Uecker in Milwaukee is a complete magician. He spent something like a minute in silence yesterday after Bonds hit number 660.

However, the best moment of the baseball radio year will go to Cubs announcer Ron Santo, who said this thing yesterday regarding cold weather baseball:

"It would get so cold that I couldn't feel my toes, and I still can't."

Ron Santo, you are a stupid, graceless man, but you are a funny amputee.

That's not nice. Ron Santo's a saint....

And I far prefer the Pat Hughes / Ron Santo broadcast to the White Sox show -- Farmer / Rooney often sound either bored, angry, gassy, or some combination thereof.

Has anybody been to US CELLULAR FIELD since they tried to make it look 60 years older? How is it? It certainly looks better from the outside.

tmidgett wrote:that's insane

aren't all the cubs games sold out already? or some bullshit like that? do they need to protect ticket brokers?

and no, i am pretty sure we would get all the brewers games

Yes it is insane. I called the cable company regarding the blackout policy and all they could say is that it was not under their control and they could not even direct me elsewhere for additional info. The MLB.com & Extra Innings websites are both quite vague about this aspect of the blackout policy - both making casual references to something like a "Home Team Viewing Territory" - but never stating anything specific - like how one might determine exactly what that "territory" is. I found some message board discussions that blamed Fox Sports Net. So, anyhow, it seems like I'm unfortunately stuck in some sort of White Sox viewing territory limbo land. To make it worse, the Sox WGN broadcasts have been cut nearly in half for this year. I'll miss you Hawk. But perhaps our limited time together will be more meaningful than ever.

tmidgett wrote:ordonez is going to have a MONSTER year, and so far so good on konerko

i always think 'i like this team' at the beginning of the season, but...i like this w.sox team. i think maybe carlos lee has grown up, and those young pitchers aren't going off the deep end. i think they'll take the al central by storm, dad gum it.

Agreed. But I've been pretty optimistic the past few years and for whatever reason the players never seemed to come together as a team. It's looking like Ozzie Guillen may be the spark they need/needed.

And I expect >15 wins from Garland this year. And I really like the potential of Harris, Rowand & Olivo. I think all will be adequate and at least one (hopefully Harris at the top of the order) will have a breakout year. I'm not sure about Frank or Koch. And, as always, I'm terrified by another season of Jose Valentin playing everyday.

brw wrote:my vote for best radio team is Ed Farmer and John Rooney in Chicago.

I like 'em too. Especially since they actually talk baseball, closely follow baseball and know both leagues.

Superking wrote:That's not nice. Ron Santo's a saint.....

Actually, former Brewers announcer Pat Hughes is the true saint for patiently dealing with that dullard on a daily basis. Hey, I'm sure that Ron Santo is a very sweet, God-fearing man who loves his family and country. He just doesn't belong in a broadcast booth.

Superking wrote:And I far prefer the Pat Hughes / Ron Santo broadcast to the White Sox show -- Farmer / Rooney often sound either bored, angry, gassy, or some combination thereof.

Fair enough. Pat Hughes calls a good game. I could do without Stammerin' Ron Santo, but I recognize how well he plays as the part of the soundtrack to The Cubs Experience. However, Farmer and Rooney are much more my speed. I love Farmer's acerbic wit and mastery of baseball strategy, and Rooney is a total pro.

Sox avoid another embarrassing loss today. Seriously, I think Billy Koch is a good pitcher but he's got a bad case of Chicago syndrome. It happens to one or more players on every team in this city. They're studs somewhere else and they come here and suck ass big time.